The Institute (2013)

A documentary on the Jejune Institute, a mind-bending San Francisco phenomenon where 10,000 people became "inducted" without ever quite realizing what they'd signed up for.

Director:

Spencer McCall

Stars:

Arye Bender, Boston Blake, Jeff Hull

Cast

Credited cast:
Arye Bender	...	Octavio Coleman Esq
Boston Blake	...	Dr. Eldridge Spearmint
Jeff Hull	...	Creator
Chelsea London Lloyd	...	Beth Foley
Gordon Mclachlan	...	Drybones
Tracy Pfau	...	Jejune Operator
Daniel Shoup	...	Kelvin Williams
Carolee Gilligan Wheeler	...	Ex-Inductee

Storyline

Feature-length documentary that examines a San Francisco-based Alternate Reality Game, where thousands of participants got more than they bargained for. Told from the players' perspectives, the film looks over the precipice at an emergent new art form where the real world and fiction narratives merge to create unforeseen and often unsettling consequences.

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Taglines:

Is it a cult? Is it a game? Or is it a life-changing adventure?

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Genres:

Documentary | Crime | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 October 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Институт

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

User Reviews

What is real?

I saw this movie at the Mill Valley Film Festival last year and have thought about it a lot since then. From the start, the film has incredibly compelling visuals and soundtrack, but the interviews with members (?) seem pretty straight forward. As the movie continues though, it seems as though things start twisting and the information may or may not be "real." Are these people acting? Is this even what happened? It might all be fake, or it might all be real, or a beautiful mixture of fact and fiction. Regardless, it looks like it was a lot of fun to participate, and I love the idea of having things like this going on around you without your knowledge. I recommend watching the movie (I think you can get it on iTunes) and seeing if you can tell what is real -- if anything.